Tom Bear

I bought a Casio CT-S400 as a travel instrument for piano practice based on your responses. The CT-S1 would be even a little better for pure piano playing. However, I wanted the display so that I can make e.g. metronome settings easier. And my son has a great playing instrument to try out the rhythms. 🙂 I have now used the device for 2 weeks for daily piano practice. And it went amazingly well! I quickly got used to the unweighted keyboard and was able to play with nuance. The sound is very, very good anyway. Conclusion: If you want a light and somewhat shorter instrument for piano practice while traveling, the CT-S400 is very good! Thanks for your help!

Hello together I am interested in the Casio CT-S400: Primarily for myself to practice the piano during the vacations. And as a secondary use for an introduction to keyboard playing for my 9 year old, so he can find out if he wants to learn. That's where the CT-S400 seems to be the sweet spot for me. For my use case (piano practice during the vacations), I'm primarily interested in the main piano sound ("the number 1"). And I'm not sure if the main piano sound of the CT-S400 sounds exactly the same as the CT-S1 or CT-S500/CT-S1000? Or do I as a piano player gain a better, fuller sound with CT-S1/CT-S500/CT-S1000 compared to CT-S400? Or is there really no difference in this one piano sound? Thank you very much for your feedback.

Thanks Mike for pointing out the CT-S500. 👍 I know this model and think that it is technically the best device (Bluetooth included, better polyphony, the good sound of the CT-S1, outputs, etc.) and that I could well afford it and that it is worth the price. I therefore almost feel a bit "guilty" when I say that I just don't like the look of the device at all (too many buttons and knobs, too many colours, etc.). For my boy, the CT-S500 would certainly be the best device. For me, that is, for pure piano practice, it's just too technical and too distracting. But I know that this can be seen as a "snobbish" argument. 😄

Hello together Thank you to everyone who has already contributed so much information to this thread on the topic of CT-S1 vs CT-S400. I am in a very similar situation to the OP: I am looking for a small device with two main functions: 1. for myself (piano beginner) I am looking for a device to practice piano when we are on holiday (at home I have a PX-S1000) 2. for my son (9 years old), I am looking for an uncomplicated device that he can use to discover making music with a keyboard instrument in a playful way The first goal, practicing piano during the holidays, I could probably cover quite well with the Casio CT-S1, as I would only really need the main piano sound. The second goal, however, is more in favor of the CT-S400 from my point of view, as it has more sounds, rhythms and accompaniment. This could fascinate my boy more and for longer. My question now is: If I go for the CT-S400 with my boy in mind, what am I missing out on if I really only want to practice piano with the main piano sound? - Reduced polyphony (48 vs 64) - looks a little less like a digital piano - anything else? The keyboard seems to be identical. The sound system/speaker also seems to be identical. But what about the main piano sound (Grand Piano)? Is it really absolutely identical on both instruments? Or does the sample of the CT-S1 offer more details/resolution or velocity layers compared to the CT-S400? I could imagine that the CT-S400 had to save a lot of memory per sound because of the large number of sounds. Or is the main piano sound really absolutely identical? Thank you very much for your information and thoughts. I'm very glad for your thoughts. 🙂 Tom

Have your received your CT-S300? And what are your impressions? Thanks for your feedback.

Thanks for the opinions and hints. I know and appreciate the Yamaha P121. But for me personally it is already overkill as my holiday tool. So it can be lighter and be more of a compromise. But I can see that is a perfect options if you are looking for a weighted action. The main question is: is the half weighted M Audio Mk3 so much better than the Casiotone. If yes, I'll take that one. If they are about the same I'll go with the Casiotone as it offers a kind of dual use: Keyboard for my VST during holidays and a fun instrument for my boy.

Dear forum members I started playing piano at the beginning of the year and bought a Casio PX-S1000. Now I'm thinking about buying something cheap, small and light with 61 keys for the holidays. So that I can practice further. Since I always have a notebook or tablet with me with a Piano VST (Garritan CFX lite, Pianoteq), I only need a keyboard. I am aware that this will not be as good as a weighted piano-like keyboard at home. But it is light and portable. The following options are currently on my shortlist: 1 Casiotone CT-S300 2 Nektar GX61 3 M Audio Keystation 61 Mk3 Based on your experience: Do you have a recommendation, which cheap 61-key keyboard is most suitable when it comes to pure piano learning during the holidays? I.e. the usual Midi controller features don't matter at all. It's all about the keys and the easy transportability. Does the Casiotone CT-S300 used as a midi keyboard drop in key quality compared to pure midi keyboards without sound generation? If not, it would be my favourite, as you can even practice without VST if necessary and the 6-year-old junior has a first practice device for himself, for example. Many thanks & best regards Tom

I saw the review too. I just bought the PX-S1000. I also noticed that the black keys are a bit lighter - especially in the middle of the keyboard. But then I hadn't given it any importance at all. I have hardly any experience. But James and his clear recommendation to other pianos irritated me. Because I could still return the instrument for free. It would interest me: Those of you who have more experience playing the piano Is the characteristic James noticed (black keys lighter than the white ones) really a problem - or only for really good pianists like James? As experienced pianists, how do you get along with the PX-S keyboard? And more specifically: Should I switch to the Roland FP-10? Thanks and sorry for asking. But James Video has made me uncertain.

Thank you Mike! In this case I will do an exchange with my dealer. I am really enjoying the Slim Previa a lot. Tom

Hi everybody On my new Casio PX-S1000, I have some sort of "grinding noise" when I press some of the keys down. The noise sounds like two faces are rubbing and is audible on about 8 keys (often the C and B keys). Not extremely loud - but still a bit annoying. (Wanted to upload a video showing the problem, but only image an text files are allowed.) My question: Is the noise normal? Or is it known what causes it? Otherwise: Great piano. I really like the piano sounds very much and I love the otherwise quiet and good key action. Thanks & Greetings Tom